From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The April Constitution of Poland (Polish Ustawa konstytucyjna 23 IV 1935) was the general law passed by the act of the Polish Sejm on April 23, 1935. It introduced in Poland a presidential system with certain elements of authoritarianism. It was accepted in violation of the earlier March Constitution of 1921 and the Rules of the Parliament, and as such it was questioned by most of the opposition to the rule of Sanacja.

It is commonly believed that the constitution was tailored after the comments by Józef Piłsudski, who was thought of as the future president of Poland. However, Piłsudski died soon after the constitution was passed and the office was held by Ignacy Mościcki.

The act introduced the idea that the state is a common good of all the citizens. It also limited the powers of the Sejm and Senat while strengthening the authority of the President of Poland. The President was responsible for choosing the members of the government, which in turn was responsible to the parliament. He also had a right to dismiss the parliament before the end of term, to name one third of the Senators, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and the General Inspector of the Armed Forces. He also had a right to issue decrees and veto the acts passed by the Sejm non-constructively.

Among the most notable features of the new constitution was the president's right to name his successor in case of war. This was used as the legal base for the existence of the Polish Government in Exile during and after the World War II. The constitution was officially abolished in 1944 by the Soviet-backed communist authorities of Poland, who officially returned to the March Constitution, while introducing many laws based on the stalinist system.

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Konstytucja_kwietniowa

Polish Constitutional Law